It looks increasingly likely Gary Brazil will be in charge of Nottingham Forest when they take on Arsenal in the FA Cup this weekend.

As the Reds hierarchy continue their search for a replacement for Mark Warburton, it has been confirmed caretaker boss Brazil will, in the meantime, speak at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, ahead of the City Ground clash on Sunday.

Forest are still working to make a swift appointment, with Paul Heckingbottom, Aitor Karanka, Paul Cook, Garry Monk, Gus Poyet, Nigel Clough and Oscar Garcia all understood to be names under consideration.

Although Evangelos Marinakis’ interest in Garcia now looks more likely to be with a view to him being appointed at Olympiacos, with reports across Europe now suggesting his appointment at the Greek club could be confirmed in the near future, despite the fact their current head coach, Takis Lemonis, remains in place.

Oscar Garcia

Garcia’s representatives state there has been “no agreement” with the Greek club just yet, but he seems bound for Piraeus, rather than the City Ground.

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And, in the meantime, while Forest have begun discussions with several potential candidates for the role, Brazil is likely to be given a second game in charge, even if an appointment is secured over the next 48 hours.

Nottingham Forest caretaker manager Gary Brazil (Image: Dan Westwell)

It is the third time Brazil has taken temporary charge of the Reds’ first team and the head of the Nigel Doughty Academy began by securing a credible 0-0 draw at Leeds United on January 1.

Aitor Karanka (Image: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

With Forest’s recruitment process continuing, Brazil is likely to get the chance to test himself against Arsene Wenger’s Premier League giants.

Heckingbottom refused to rule himself out of the running on Thursday – albeit in an attempt to quell speculation over his own future at Oakwell.

Forest are understood to have spoken to Heckingbottom prior to the appointment of Warburton last spring and are impressed by the job he has done establishing the Tykes in the second tier, after leading them to promotion via the play-offs.

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Former Middlesbrough boss Karanka is another who is high on the Forest shortlist, but the club are not the only ones being linked with the Spaniard, with Sheffield Wednesday also looking to recruit a replacement for Carlos Carvalhal and with Mark Hughes on shaky ground at Premier League Stoke City.

Forest are also understood to be impressed by the work done by Cook at Wigan, who look on course to win promotion back to the Championship – with Cook having previously guided both Chesterfield and Portsmouth to the League Two title.

Garry Monk was most recently in charge at Middlesbrough (Image: Getty)

The job Monk did at both Swansea and Leeds United is enough to mitigate the disappointing spell he had at Middlesbrough this season – and he favours the brand of passing football Forest are keen to maintain, following the nine-month tenure of Warburton.

Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough

Clough turned down the Forest job last season, at a time when the future ownership of the club was still up in the air, as Fawaz Al Hasawi looked to complete the sale of the Reds.

The former Forest forward is understood to be keen on the role now there is more stability behind the scenes at the City Ground, but faces more competition for the position this time around.